DIADELPHIA— DECANDRIA. Medicaffo. 317 



O'' 



A numerous genus of herbaceous, rarely a little shrubby, 

 mostly procumbent, plants, with stalked, ternate leaves ; 

 stipulas unlike the leaflets; and small, clustered, or spiked, 

 axillary, yellow, rarely blueish,^ow^;*5. Legumes various, 

 very peculiar, smooth or prickly, often remarkably con- 

 voluted, 



*1. M. sativa. Purple Medick, or Lucerne. 



Clusters upright. Legumes spiral. Stem erect, smooth. 



M. sativa. Linn. Sp. PL ]096. rVilld. v. 3. ] 404. Fl.£r.795. 

 Engl. Bot. V. 25. t. 1749. Mart. Rust. t. 48. Hook. Scot. 220. 



Medica. Dod. Pempt. ^76./. 



M. n. 382. Hall. Hist. v.\.\66. 



M. sativa. Dalecli. Hist. 502. f. 



M. sativa, sive Trifolium sativum, siliqufi cornutA, magis tortili. 

 Moris. V. 2. 158. sect. 2. t. 16./. 2. 



M. legitima. Clus. Hist. v. 2. 242./. 



M. major erectior, fioribus purpurascentibus. Bauh. Hist, v. 2. 

 382./. 383. 



Trifolium Burgundiacum. Ger. Em. 1 189./ 



Fcenum Burgundiacum. Lob. Ic. v. 2. 36./. 



In hedges, pastures, and the borders of fields, in dry calcareous 

 soils, but scarcely a native. 



Perennial. June, July. 



Root woody, seldom lasting long. Stems erect, or somewhat re- 

 clining, about 2 feet high, branched, leafy, roundish, smooth. 

 Leajlets oblong, inclining to wedge-shaped, more or less acute, 

 sharplv serrated towards the end, clothed with close silky hairs 

 on both sides, but especially beneath. Stipulas lanceolate, or 

 half-arrow-shaped, pointed, sometimes toothed. Clusters erect, 

 of many blueish-purple/fou'ers, with a small bristle-like bractea 

 under each partial stalk. Legume spiral, with rarely more than 

 2 or 3 turns, silky while young. Seeds several, flatlish. 



Lucerne has often been recommended for fodder or for hayj its 

 qualities and mode of culture may be seen in the Flora Rustica. 

 Gerarde mentions it as increasing much in his garden. I have 

 often suspected it to be a variety of the following, originating 

 from cultivation, but they do not appear ever to run into each 

 other. 



2. W.falcata. Yellow Sickle Medick. 



Clusters upright. Legumes sickle-shaped. Stem procum- 

 bent. 



M. falcata. Linn. Sp. PI. 1096. Willd. v. 3. 1405. Fl. Br. 796. 

 Engl.Bot.v.]5.t.\0]C). Mart. Rust. t. 86 and87. Fl. Dan.t.233. 



Medica n. 38 1 . Hnll. Hist. v.\.\ 65 . 



